


The Summoning

by hkandi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Complete, Demon Summoning, Family Feels, Gen, Halloween, Hatake Kakashi Is Trying, Iruka is...?, Let's talk to spirits, M/M, Naruto is Just Naruto, Rise from your grave...kind of, Summoning, The kids want a family-family, conflicted feelings, well that was unexpected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26919709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hkandi/pseuds/hkandi
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke get the not so bright idea to try to summon a demon. Come on, it's October, practically Halloween, what's the worst that can happen?!Instead, they summon one deceased spirit guardian Iruka, and cause headache after headache for their foster dad Kakashi._____A Halloween story, posted in semi-real time this month!
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Tsunade, Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 63
Kudos: 235





	1. And so it begins...

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter lengths vary, they're longer after this first chapter...

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

"Can you buy candles on your way home?" Naruto asked Kakashi as they ate breakfast.

Kakashi nodded. "Sure. Birthday candles?"

Naruto shook his head and shoveled cereal into his mouth. "Candle-candles..." He looked to Sasuke for help.

"Like, the candles that go in votives, storm candles, or whatever," Sasuke said, primly eating his toast.

Kakashi nodded again. "No problem."

"And salt, matches, mint, and milk," Sasuke said, blandly.

Kakashi paused and looked at the boys. "Why do you need all this stuff?"

"Science project," they said in unison, and Kakashi rolled his eyes. 

"Great," he sighed. "Just don't burn the house down, okay?"

They agreed, and soon they all left the house, Kakashi waving as the kids walked to school, setting off for work himself.

___

"Guys!" Kakashi shouted as he got home at six thirty that night. "I have pizza, and your supplies!"

"And soda?" Naruto shouted back.

"And soda," Kakashi answered, setting things down in the kitchen. "And yes, Sasuke, an extra side of marinara sauce."

"Excellent," Sasuke said, entering the kitchen and helping to get plates and glasses. "We took the dogs out, and just fed them."

Kakashi thanked them, and they sat to eat, talking about their days.

"What should we watch tonight?" Kakashi asked, as they reached for their third slices.

The boys exchanged a look. 

"What?" he asked. "It's Friday, our movie night. We pick a crappy movie on a streaming service, eat too many snacks, and go to sleep late."

"We, uh, thought we'd work on our science project," Naruto said.

Kakashi frowned. "Two almost-sixteen year old boys want to do a science project on a Friday night instead of watching a creature feature? It's the start of October, we need to start watching our favorite scary movies."

They nodded, and he sighed.

"Where did I go wrong in raising you?" he said, shaking his head. "Are you sure you're not trying to sneak out to a party, especially with it being your birthday tomorrow?" he said to Naruto. "Because I'd be cool with it, you don't have to sneak out."

"Science project," Sasuke repeated, and Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"Did you get everything?" Naruto asked, eyes drifting to the bags.

"Yep. What kind of science project is this, anyway?"

"Uh...just a super secret one!" Naruto said, and Sasuke kicked him under the table.

"What he means," the raven haired boy said to Kakashi, "is that we're supposed to do it by ourselves, without adult help."

Kakashi held up his hands. "You don't have to tell me twice. Just give a shout if anything is about to explode."

Soon, the kids wrapped up and ran upstairs with their supplies, and Kakashi did the dishes.

He looked out the kitchen window. Their backyard was growing dark, as the sun was setting earlier than it had, now that it was October. Fall was here, a chill was starting to set, and he needed to check he and the kids still fit in all their sweaters.

Something nuzzled his leg, and he looked down, smiling as the pack trickled in.

"You guys aren't too busy for me, right?" he asked them, and led them to the living room to watch television.

_____

Kakashi woke, eyes snapping open, body ready to act.

He blinked as he looked around, taking stock of the situation. He had fallen asleep in the living room, which was dark, but the movie he put on was still playing, so it wasn't too late at least.

His brain woke and registered the dogs barking upstairs.

"The kids! The science project!" he said to himself, running to the bedrooms on the second floor.

"Is everyone okay?" he shouted, flinging Sasuke's bedroom door open. No kids.

"Guys?" he shouted, running to Naruto's room, where the barking was louder, and the kids were trying to quiet them.

He tried the door, but it was locked.

"Open up right now!" he bellowed. 

"Kakashi, we're okay! Everything is okay!" the kids shouted.

"Open it or I'm knocking it down!"

"Hold on, hold on!" someone said, and the door opened...an inch.

"We're good," Naruto said, smiling weakly. "Don't worry."

"Then why are the dogs barking?" Kakashi said, pushing on the door.

Naruto pushed back.

"Naruto, move back or so help me I will kill you and feed you to the dogs," Kakashi said, and Naruto's eyes widened.

"I thought they don't eat people?" the blond said, moving aside.

Kakashi entered and looked around.

The room was a bit of a disaster, but it was Naruto's, so it usually was, except that now it had the addition of candles glowing in the otherwise darkened room.

Naruto seemed worried as he stood near Kakashi. Sasuke was near them, frowning and running a hand through his hair.

The dogs...the dogs had formed a perimeter around something in the middle of the room, but what?

"Light, on, now!" Kakashi barked, and Naruto sighed but did as told.

"What the -" Kakashi said, eyes wide. He grabbed the boys by their arms and pulled them into the hallway.

"Why is there a stranger in our house?" he asked, still holding their arms. "You're supposed to sneak out to meet people, not bring an adult in here! What happened? Are you okay?"

The boys exchanged a look but were silent.

"I'm calling the cops," Kakashi said. "Don't go back in there. Then I'm getting my gun."

"Kakashi, don't!" Naruto cried. "It's not what you think!"

"Then what is it? Because you told me you were doing a science project, and now there's a random guy in your bedroom? Did he touch you? Are you both okay?" he asked again.

"We're fine," Sasuke sighed. "And he's...ours?"

Kakashi blinked, shaking his head, and the kids took advantage of this to pull their arms free.

"What do you mean, yours?"

"Uh....promise you won't be mad?" Naruto asked, hopeful.

"I'm so mad, you don't even know," Kakashi said. "I can only promise that you won't be grounded when you're forty. Probably. Now, you have five seconds to tell me what happened."

"Five seconds?!" Naruto cried. "That's, like, no time!"

"Two," Kakashi said.

"We summoned him," Sasuke offered, frowning. "Happy?"

Kakashi turned to him. "You what?"

"Summoned him. We were trying to summon a demon."

They stood in silence for a moment.

"I want the truth," Kakashi finally said. "Now."

"That is the truth!" the boys said in unison.

"We found something in an old store, and Shikamaru did some research about it on the dark web or something, and we thought we'd try it out. Shika said the night before my birthday would be a good night for it..."

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair.

"That only happens in movies, what really happened?"

"Honest!" Naruto cried. "We can show you the spell!"

"Spell?" Kakashi sighed, but followed the children back to the room. "I'm going in first," he said, moving ahead and cracking the door open. The man was still laying on his side, facing away from the door.

By now, surprisingly, the dogs had calmed down, and were still circled around the man, but were sitting wagging their tails.

"Traitors," Kakashi said to them.

"Here," Sasuke said, grabbing a scroll, of all things, and giving it to Kakashi.

"This looks....old," he said. "Where did you say you got this?"

"Some run down bookstore antique place when we were on a field trip last month," Sasuke said. "The shop owner told us it would give us power, or help, or something."

"So you thought summoning a demon was a smart move?" Kakashi yelled. "Haven't we watched enough movies to know that it never goes well! What am I even saying, this is ridiculous!"

The kids shrugged, and they turned to look at the man.

"He doesn't look like a demon," Naruto sighed, and the others glared at him. "What?" he asked, shrugging. "In the movies, they're like, huge, and red, and have horns..."

Sasuke sighed. "Sometimes they look like regular people, dobe."

"Shut up, teme!"

"Both of you shut up!" Kakashi snapped. "I don't believe you actually summoned anything, and you're in so much trouble regardless." He sighed. "What do I do...call the cops and tell them I have an intruder? That's going to raise so many questions...maybe I should just call Asuma and Genma to come over...."

"But he's not an intruder!" Naruto pointed out. "He's our demon!"

"Even worse," Kakashi sighed. Shaking his head, he set to work. "Thing seem...secure enough, for now. You'll both sleep in my room tonight, with the door locked. I'll keep watch here, and I'll get backup and figure this out tomorrow. Sasuke, get my handcuffs."

"The ones in your nightstand, or the work ones?" Sasuke sneered, and Kakashi glared.

"You don't get to mess with me right now. Go!"

Sasuke sighed but left, returning a moment later.

Kakashi approached the man and rolled him onto his stomach, slapping the cuffs on him. The man sighed in his sleep and rolled back onto his side, but didn't wake.

"Weird!" Naruto commented. "At least he's not naked, huh?"

The man, in fact, was half naked, light grey linen pants the only thing covering him.

"Get going," Kakashi said to the boys. "Take your phones and chargers, and the dogs, and stay put until I tell you to leave."

The kids did as told, and Kakashi took up his post, pulling a chair to the front of the door, facing the man. He walked a slow circle around the man to observe him.

Tanned skin, dark brown hair splayed around his head, a scar across his nose, some muscle definition.

He looked around his own age, Kakashi noted. He patted the man's pants, no sign of anything in them or strapped to his body. No weapons, so that was good.

And, no demon horns, he mused to himself as he sat on the chair, studying the man.

It was just shy of midnight, and Kakashi sighed to himself.

"This is the closest to a Friday night date I've had in ages," he thought to himself, laughing in spite of everything. "What is my life coming to?"

_____________

Kakashi lightly dozed, eventually, secure in his years of training that he would wake at the smallest sound.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Can we come out?" Naruto texted.

It was six in the morning, on a Saturday. Kakashi sighed, this must be interesting if the kids woke up so early on their day off.

He glanced at the man, noting he was still asleep, and no change in position. At least he was still breathing, judging by the rise and fall of his chest.

His muscular chest, Kakashi's brain added, and he shook his head.

Kakashi texted back that they could leave the room, and heard them walk down the hallway. He gently opened the door and they crept in.

"Did he wake up?" Sasuke asked, and Kakashi shook his head. 

"No. Naruto, get a dining room chair and bring it up here, we'll put him in it."

The blond did as told, and they helped Kakashi to quickly pick the man up and put him in the chair, replacing the cuffs so the man's arms were secured behind the chair.

"Now what?" Naruto asked.

"Now we wait," Kakashi said. "And when he wakes up, we get the truth. Some way to start Naruto's birthday," he sighed.

The boys exchanged a look but didn't argue, and soon went down one by one to let the dogs out, feed the dogs, and bring breakfast up for themselves and Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed as they ate cereal while watching their guest.

"It's supposed to be Saturday morning cartoons," he said. "Not this."

"Entertainment is entertainment," Sasuke commented.

Just then, they heard a soft groan and all three looked at their visitor.

The man yawned as he raised his head and stretched his neck, eyes still closed.

"Kami, I'm exhausted," he groaned.

He rolled his shoulders and seemed to become aware of his restrained hands.

His eyes instantly opened wide in alarm, and he shook hair out of his face as he looked at the three surprised faces in front of him.

"What's going on?" he asked, frowning at the situation. "Why am I tied up? And where's my shirt?"

Kakashi blinked. Sasuke pursed his lips. And Naruto's mouth dropped into a large O shape.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"I'm Iruka Umino," their guest said. "And Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, you're in big trouble."


	2. Happy birthday, Naruto!

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

"What?" Naruto squeaked out, and hid behind Sasuke. "Sasuke, Kakashi, save me!"

"Maa, he said Sasuke's in trouble too, so don't hide behind him," Kakashi suggested. He narrowed his eyes at Iruka. "So, Iruka Umino, care to explain why you're in a teenage boy's bedroom on a Friday night?"

"Ask them," Iruka said, nodding at the boys. "They brought me here."

"We did?" the boys asked in unison, before looking at each other. "We did!"

"Enough!" Kakashi shouted, and three pairs of eyes turned to him. "I want answers now! No more summoning a demon bullshit." He looked at Iruka. "You tell me the truth right now so I know what to tell the cops when they come."

"But Kakashi!" Naruto whined. "He's our demon! He's, like, my birthday demon! I wanna keep him!"

"I'm not a demon," Iruka sighed. 

"What?!" Sasuke and Naruto said, turning to him. 

"You're welcome," Iruka commented.

"We wanted a demon," Naruto said, frowning.

"Someone to help us out," Sasuke added. "That's what we were told with the scroll."

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Well, careful what you ask for. You almost got a demon, sure. A big, bad, worst of the worst demon."

"So what happened?" Naruto asked, eyes wide. "Where'd he go?"

"Do you know what would have happened if he had passed through to this realm?" Iruka asked, and they all shook their heads. "Destruction. Mayhem. Your souls would have been his in an instant. And if you were lucky, he'd have dragged you back to his literal hellhole for eternity."

"That's lucky?" Kakashi asked, but he was ignored.

"So where did you come from?" Sasuke asked. "You don't seem like a demon."

"I thought you said demons can look like real people," Naruto whispered to him.

Iruka sighed. "I'm not a demon, just a deceased person who now works in the afterlife."

The room was silent for a moment.

"Say what?" Kakashi finally asked.

"The afterlife," Iruka repeated. "You know, after this life? When you die? You move on, go somewhere."

"So, you died?" Naruto whispered, and Iruka nodded. "Cool!"

Iruka frowned at Kakashi. "They seriously have, like, no manners."

Kakashi shrugged. "Kids these days. So I'm seriously supposed to believe that these knuckleheads tried to summon a demon in their bedroom, and you...what? Came instead?"

"Basically, yes," Iruka said, shifting in the chair. "Can I get out of these now?" he asked, but Kakashi shook his head. "Fine," Iruka sighed. "Look, I work in the Officium Divinum. Office of the Divine."

"Sounds boring," Naruto yawned.

"Idiot, it's Latin," Sasuke said, and Iruka nodded, a faint smile on his face.

"Correct, Sasuke. I was alerted that a specific summoning scroll was being used, and while investigating it, saw that a certain demon was trying to jump in."

"So then what happened?" Sasuke asked.

"I....uh....took his place," Iruka said, blushing slightly.

"You what?" the other three said in unison.

"Well, I couldn't let a demon run rampant in this realm!" Iruka shouted. "And certainly not when I saw it was two kids doing the summoning!"

"Is that how you know our names?" Naruto asked, jumping up and down. "That's so cool! Do you know his?" he asked, pointing to Kakashi.

"No," Iruka said, "just the two of you since you were directly involved."

Kakashi looked at the boys. "Tell me you didn't use blood or anything to summon anyone?"

They shook their heads and he relaxed, slightly.

"We're not idiots!" Naruto said, eyes narrowing.

"You sure about that?" Kakashi sighed, as he turned back to Iruka. "So you were alive once in our...realm?" he asked, and the other man nodded.

"Until not long ago, three years ago, maybe," Iruka said.

"How did you die?" Sasuke asked, curiously.

"Ah....domestic dispute," Iruka mumbled, looking at the floor. "I'd rather not get into it..."

"Kakashi," Sasuke said, turning to him. "If Iruka was alive not long ago, you could get one of your friends to look him up. See if his story pans out."

"I guess," Kakashi said, scratching the back of his head. "Since I'm guessing you don't have any proof on yourself?"

Iruka shook his head. "The dearly departed don't need identification, I'm afraid."

Kakashi sighed. "Fine. I'll get some more information from you, and then I'll call someone. In the meantime," he said, turning to the boys. "You two stay downstairs until I come down."

They nodded and said goodbye to Iruka, closing the door behind them.

Kakashi moved his own chair closer to Iruka and sat down. They looked at each other in silence.

"Okay," Kakashi began. "Here's how this is going to go. You're going to give me all the information I ask for. Name, date of birth, date of supposed death. Important locations, people, things. Medical history, employment, everything. I'm going to call my friend in the police department to pull your records. If you happen to in fact be deceased, it shouldn't be hard. If you're actually alive and this is some twisted game you play, I'm going to beat you to a pulp and then turn you in, and make sure they lock you up for good. Or what I leave of you for them to lock up. Understand?"

"Perfectly," Iruka said, his face blank. "It feels like you've done this sort of thing before?"

Kakashi shrugged as he grabbed a notebook and pen from Naruto's desk. "I'm retired military and still in...security...so you might say that."

Iruka nodded. "Well, I have nothing to hide, and I'm not lying. But I do have one request to make first?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow but said nothing, and Iruka shifted in his chair.

"Could I have a shirt?"

_______

"Yeah, Ebisu," Kakashi said into his phone, as he held it to his right ear and studied his notes. "I think that's the main stuff." He paused, listening. "Yeah, an obituary would be good. Certificate of death, cause of death, date of death. That sort of thing." Another pause. "Why do I need it?"

He looked at Iruka, who was now wearing one of Kakashi's white undershirts, hands still cuffed behind him as he sat in the chair. Iruka pursed his lips and gazed back at him.

"Friend of a friend is looking for him," Kakashi finally said. "Just doing them a favor. Nothing crazy," he added, and Iruka rolled his eyes. "Thanks, talk to you soon."

Kakashi ended the call and sighed as he put his phone in his back pocket.

"Now we wait," Kakashi said, and Iruka nodded.

"I know how this goes," Iruka said. "It'll pan out."

Kakashi hummed to himself as he sat down on Naruto's bed, and Iruka looked around the room.

"Messy kid," he commented, and Kakashi shrugged.

"I guess. Sasuke's probably the neater one," Kakashi admitted.

"And you?" Iruka asked, and Kakashi looked at him.

"I won't be divulging anything until we know exactly who you are."

Iruka sighed. "Fair enough." He closed his eyes, and Kakashi pulled out his phone and began to flick through newsfeeds while they waited.

About ten minutes later, his phone pinged, and Iruka casually opened his eyes.

"Email," Kakashi informed him, as he opened it. He began to read through, his eyes darting from his phone, to Iruka, to his notes, and back and forth multiple times.

Iruka didn't look away, and Kakashi scratched the back of his own head.

"Well, it appears what you gave me matches this," Kakashi stated. "I'm not sure I believe it, but Iruka Umino is, for all intents and purposes, very dead. And you match the pictures. Did you really die from..." he said, trailing off.

Iruka sighed. "I did. Lift my shirt and check, if you'd like."

"You sure?"

Iruka nodded. "Go for it."

Kakashi stood and circled him, gently lifting the back of the shirt and seeing a rather nasty looking scar on the other man's back.

"I swear it wasn't there earlier. But, it doesn't look good," Kakashi commented, replacing the shirt.

Iruka craned his neck slightly to look at him. "Drawback of dying without it actually healing first, you get what you get. At least it's on my back, and a scar rather than a wound. Plus, I don't see it much given its location. But, ah, sorry you saw it." He frowned. "If it wasn't there before, maybe it's taking my body a while to catch up with all this?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No clue. But, I've seen worse. I'm just...sorry. Your partner did it?"

"He was my fiance, at the time," Iruka sighed. "Not my best choice in a partner. Been single since," he said wryly. 

Kakashi sat on the bed again, running a hand through his silver hair. "I just can't believe this," he sighed. "You're certainly dead, everything says so, yet here you are."

Iruka chuckled. "I'm just as surprised. I had a decent life going in the afterlife. I had a job I liked, some friends, no bills. And I was friendly with the good demons, they watch my back and have a special place in their...workspace...for my ex."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows but nodded. "Noted. You've got friends in high places."

"Well, more like low places, if you believe that sort of thing," Iruka said. "But as I told the kids, the demon they were summoning was not a nice one, and really, I couldn't let him get through."

"And here you are," Kakashi said.

"Here I am," Iruka parroted. "Umm...can I be freed now?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I suppose. But, my previous threat still stands. You do anything wrong, I won't hesitate to take you down."

Iruka nodded. "I promise I won't. I had no criminal record in my actual life. I didn't start doing anything like that after, and I certainly won't now."

Kakashi nodded and released Iruka, who rubbed his wrists.

"Could I trouble you to show me to the bathroom?" he asked, and Kakashi led him down the hall, where he stood guard outside as Iruka went in.

"Kakashi!" Naruto soon shouted. "How's my summons?"

"Your what?" Kakashi shouted back.

"My summons!" Naruto shouted again. "I summoned him, he's mine!"

"We summoned him," Kakashi heard Sasuke say. "He's ours."

"Mine, ours, whatever," Naruto sighed. "Where is he?"

"In the bathroom," Kakashi called out. 

"Is he hungry?" Sasuke shouted up, and Kakashi frowned to himself.

"I don't know," he yelled back.

"What?!" the boys shouted, and ran up the stairs.

"Since he's out of the bedroom, I'm assuming he checked out?" Sasuke asked, and Kakashi nodded.

"Believe it!" Naruto shouted, punching the air. "It's going to be so cool having him here!"

"He's not staying," Kakashi said, and the boys looked at him with surprise. "I mean, probably. This whole thing is crazy, I don't know," he said, shrugging.

They continued to talk about it, when Iruka finally exited, looking bashful.

"Sorry it took a while," he said. "It's been a while since I was in a real body again," he sighed.

The other three exchanged a look in silence.

"Are...are you hungry?" Naruto asked, and Iruka considered this.

"I am!" he said, smiling. "Sorry, in the afterlife food and...bodily things...aren't as pressing as in this realm. Been a while since I had to pay attention to these cues."

"Weird," Sasuke sighed, but led them downstairs.

Iruka looked around as they passed through the house. "Nice place," he commented.

"It's Kakashi's," Sasuke informed him.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he took us in about two years ago," Naruto said as they headed to the dining room. "Our parents were on a trip together and...it didn't go well."

Iruka nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine, but thanks," Sasuke said, quietly. "He was close with our families, and Itachi is in college and we wanted him to have a normal life too, so..."

"Itachi's Sasuke's older brother," Naruto stated. "He's a cool guy. He would have dropped everything for Sasuke, but we talked him into staying focused on his schooling and still go to his dream university, a few hours away. He comes to visit pretty often though!"

"That's a pretty cool brother," Iruka commented. 

"What about your family?" Naruto asked.

"I lost my parents when I was about the same age as you," Iruka said. "Been on my own otherwise. No Kakashi to take me in," he said, smiling at the other man, whose cheeks tinged a slight pink.

"I'll bring food out here," Kakashi said as the others sat at the dining room table.

"Kakashi also lost his parents young," Sasuke informed Iruka. "Younger than we were."

"We've got that in common, all of us!" Naruto shouted, and Sasuke glared at him.

"You get excited over the stupidest things," he sighed, and Iruka laughed softly.

"You're acting like real brothers," he commented.

"They fight like real brothers," Kakashi said, bringing in milk, cereal, bowls, and spoons. "And eat like monsters," he added, as the boys tore into the food. "Didn't you already eat breakfast?"

"That was the first breakfast," Sasuke stated.

"Yeah, we're growing boys!" Naruto added.

Iruka laughed and reached for his own bowl. "I have missed family banter over meals."

They began to eat, and Naruto kept his eyes on Iruka.

"So, Iruka," the blond began. "How did it work? Actually summoning you?"

Iruka thought about this as he ate. "Well, it's that time of year."

"What?" Kakashi asked, frowning.

"October, right?" Iruka asked. "Soon it's Halloween, near the Samhain festival."

"The what?" Naruto asked.

"It's a time of year that souls can come through easier," Iruka informed them. "I'm guessing that it was probably also the right kind of moon, and those factors, combined with the scroll you used, well, probably added up to this."

"Cool!" Naruto cooed.

"Wow," Sasuke said, coolly.

"Unbelievable," Kakashi sighed.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"It was probably also birthday magic," Naruto concluded, and the others looked at him. "What? It's a thing in movies."

Kakashi rolled his eyes and Sasuke sighed.

"Is it your birthday today?" Iruka asked, surprised, and Naruto grinned.

"Believe it!"

"Well, happy birthday!" Iruka said. "I don't have anything to give you, but hey, I saved you from a terrible demon, so hopefully that counts for something."

"I mean, you're here and you're my summons, so it's like your my present!" Naruto said.

"Our summons," Sasuke corrected him, again.

"What are you doing for your birthday?" Iruka asked, and Naruto shrugged.

"A bunch of our friends are gone this weekend or busy, so we celebrated last week and a few days ago. I think we're just staying in and hanging out here. But we're getting ramen for dinner!"

Iruka smiled. "That sounds like a pretty good birthday."

"I know! Hey, in the movies it's even easier to travel between being alive and dead on Halloween night," Naruto said, looking at a wall calendar. "So, like, are you here til Halloween?" he asked, and the others turned to Iruka, who shrugged.

"I...I don't really know," he admitted. "My job didn't involve this sort of thing, and it's never happened to me before."

"What about the demons you knew?" Kakashi asked, and the boys looked at him in disbelief. "What? He said he has friends over...there."

Iruka laughed. "I think the nature of being a demon allows for this kind of travel differently. I really don't know what to do," he said, tucking hair behind his ear. "Does anyone have any hair ties, by any chance?"

The others shook their heads, and Iruka sighed. 

"Fair. I just usually wear my hair up..."

"Is this how you looked when you were alive?" Sasuke asked, and Iruka nodded.

"Yep. I saw myself in the bathroom mirror, I guess I haven't aged or anything."

"Wow!" Naruto said. "That's so cool!"

Before anyone could say anything more, there was barking from outside, and Kakashi stood to let the dogs in from the yard. They ran in and swarmed to Iruka, who laughed and moved his chair away from the table to pet them all.

"Well, the pack likes you," Kakashi observed.

"So many dogs!" Iruka laughed. "They're all yours?"

Kakashi nodded. "I had them before I had these brats," he said, nodding to the boys, who rolled their eyes. "And they're better behaved than the kids, too."

"You're so funny," Sasuke said, sarcastically.

"Do they have food like this where you live?" Naruto asked Iruka, as they each poured another bowl of cereal.

"Ah...it's a long story," Iruka said, digging into it. "Yes? No? We have a lot there, if you want to eat. If you don't, life goes on. But I have missed this," he said putting a large spoonful in his mouth.

Kakashi sighed. "Great, Naruto has a food friend."

"Maybe Iruka will help Naruto actually do his dishes," Sasuke said, and Iruka nodded, his mouth still full, eyes wide.

"Definitely!" Iruka said, covering his mouth with a hand while he talked through his food. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "Sorry, I usually have better manners than this, this is just so good!"

True to his word, Iruka helped with the breakfast dishes, as well as some left overnight.

They spent the rest of the day bringing Iruka up to speed about the past few years, and Kakashi relaxed on the sofa with the dogs as he watched Sasuke and Naruto run through news, fashion, social media, different trends, and viral videos, before they finally pulled out some new video games and began to show Iruka how to play.

Kakashi's phone rang, and he answered it as he watched the others play a fighting game.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself," Genma said. "You heading over for poker tonight?"

"Ah, no, I thought I already cancelled tonight," Kakashi said, as he checked the time, surprised at how late in the day it had gotten. "It's Naruto's birthday, and something came up with the boys."

"Tell him I say happy birthday. Are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine, just...a school project they need some help with. I'll catch you guys next week, don't lose all your money tonight."

Genma snorted. "I won't lose, but Gai might."

"Probably," Kakashi agreed.

"Iruka! That's a sneaky move!" Naruto shouted.

"Who's Iruka?" Genma asked.

"A new friend."

Genma hummed. "Theirs, or yours?"

Kakashi sighed. "I'll talk you later."

He hung up and stood and stretched. "It's getting to be dinner time," he announced to the others. "Are you all stuffed from the snacks or do you want real food?" he asked, nodding at the assortment of junk food the boys had pulled out.

"We're growing boys, Kakashi!" Naruto called out, eyes glued to the screen as they played. "We need a lot of food!"

"And Iruka's newly revived," Sasuke agreed, laughing as he knocked out Naruto's character. "Ha!"

"I am feeling peckish," Iruka said, tilting his head toward Kakashi as he focused on the screen. He scowled as Sasuke took down his character too. "You got me," he sighed.

"I think that's a good stopping point," Kakashi said. "We did pizza last night, any thoughts on tonight? Maybe a nice fresh vegetable dish?" he teased.

"Ramen, remember?!" Naruto called out. He paused and looked at Iruka. "Do you like ramen?"

"It's my favorite," Iruka admitted.

"Ramen it is, then, for the birthday boy," Kakashi said, pulling up a menu on his phone and showing it to Iruka.

When they were ready to call a few minutes later, Naruto reached for his own phone and called to place the order.

"Half an hour," the blond sighed. "That's lame."

"How about we take the dogs out for a proper run around?" Kakashi suggested. "Show Iruka the backyard?"

The pack barked in agreement and they headed outside, where the dogs ran and the boys chased them and threw toys.

"This is nice," Iruka said, looking around. It was a large yard with lots of open space for the dogs, a patio for grilling with some lawn chairs and a table, and a few trees near the back.

"Thanks," Kakashi said. "I like it being on the simpler side."

Iruka nodded and they stood in silence for a while as they watched the others.

As they started to head in, Iruka rubbed his bare arms, as he was still wearing his pants and Kakashi's t-shirt.

"Are you cold?" Sasuke asked him, and he nodded.

"Afraid so," Iruka said, slightly embarrassed.

"Kakashi, Iruka needs a sweatshirt!" Naruto called out.

"Why don't you give him one of yours? Oh, wait, not everyone likes bright orange," Kakashi called back, as he headed upstairs. He returned a few minutes later and passed the other man a black sweatshirt with "security" in bold yellow on it.

"Thanks," Iruka said, pulling it on and tucking his hair behind his ears. "Interesting item..."

"Half of my wardrobe is work-related," Kakashi said, shrugging.

"At least half," Sasuke interjected.

The doorbell rang, and they were soon sitting at the dining room table eating.

"Hey, we should take Iruka shopping tomorrow," Naruto said suddenly, and the others looked at him. "What? If he's going to be here for a while he'll need his own clothes."

"Oh, no," Iruka said, shaking his head. "I don't know how long I'll be here, and I don't want to be too much of a bother while I am."

"For once I agree with Naruto," Sasuke said. "You could be here til at least Halloween, so that's like three weeks. And it's not like you're going to be here at home the whole time, so you might as well have some clothes that fit and actually look good. "

"They fit," Kakashi said.

"You're taller," Naruto pointed out.

"Really," Iruka said, "I don't want to make a big deal of this."

"Kakashi!" Naruto whined. "Let's just get him a few things. He'll probably at least need his own underwear and deodorant and all."

Iruka coughed into his glass as he drank, and Kakashi shook his head.

"You have a point," the older man said. 

"Mall trip tomorrow!" Naruto said, and made Sasuke high-five him.

"We should visit Dr Senju tomorrow after," Sasuke suggested.

"What?" Iruka and Kakashi said in unison.

Sasuke shrugged. "She's Kakashi's godmother. As a semi-retired medical doctor she could check you out," he said to Iruka, who nodded.

"Ooh, plus she says she's psychic, or talks to spirits or something," Naruto agreed. "Grandma Tsunade could totally help us with all this!"

"She's what?" Iruka asked, and Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"She says she speaks to spirits, but I think it's mostly the sake talking," he said. "But, sure, you guys call her tonight, and if she's free we'll visit her."

The boy agreed, and Naruto called her after dinner, announcing that she was free in the second half of the day.

"Everything's planned for tomorrow, now what should we do tonight?" he asked the group.

"Actually, I feel kind of embarrassed to say this, but I'm pretty tired," Iruka admitted. "I know it's not even eight at night, but it's been a long day..."

"Of course," Kakashi agreed. "Being risen from the dead and all takes a lot out of you, I suppose. I'll show you to a guest room," he said, and Iruka followed him upstairs.

"Bathroom, your room, their rooms, my room," Kakashi said, pointing around the hallway. "I'll get you pajamas. Anything you need for the shower and all are in the bathroom closet."

He returned a moment later and passed the clothes to Iruka, who was standing in the doorway of the guest room.

"I'm sorry to be making you go through all this," Iruka said, taking the clothing. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Kakashi gave him a small crooked smile and scratched the back of his own head. "It's nothing, but thanks. Not every day a guy resurrects in your house, what else would I do?"

Iruka laughed nervously. "Thank you, Kakashi."

"Have a good night, Iruka," Kakashi said, waving as he turned and walked downstairs.

"Do you think he's okay?" Naruto asked when he entered the living room, where Sasuke had turned on a movie.

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know, really. He was dead, now he's not," he said, shaking his head as he sat on a sofa. "Strange day for all of us, really..."


	3. Small steps forward

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

Kakashi woke at his usual semi-early time, and scratched some dog heads as he laid in bed, reflecting on yesterday.

"Iruka Umino," he said to himself, softly. "My new guest..."

He eventually left his bed and showered and dressed, before heading towards the stairs, looking in at Iruka's half-open door.

Kakashi smiled to himself as he saw several dogs laying on or around Iruka's bed, and held in laughter at soft snores emanating from the man.

He continued downstairs and made coffee as he let the dogs out, the ones from Iruka's room ambling down at intervals.

"Made a new friend, huh?" he asked, as the dogs stretched and began to walk around.

Kakashi had time to answer some work emails, watch the news, and do some reading, before Sasuke came down, followed by a blearily eyed Naruto.

"Man, I'm starving," Naruto said, pulling out cereal. "Is Iruka up yet?"

"I don't think so," Sasuke said. "His door was open when I came down and he seemed pretty passed out."

"It must be exhausting being dead," Naruto said, rummaging around the fridge. 

"How did this become normal conversation for us?" Kakashi sighed. "I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all this."

"What's there to not believe?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke nodded.

"We summoned him, we saw him just...appear," Sasuke said. "You saw for yourself that the records prove he died."

"People don't just come back to life like that," Kakashi commented. "It's not normal business, is all."

The boys shrugged. 

"Well, he's here, believe it!" Naruto said happily.

They ate breakfast and were doing individual assignments for work and school when Iruka came down in yesterday's clothes, with damp hair.

"Good morning," he said, smiling. "I feel like I slept like the dead," he laughed. "I mean, I was, so it's fitting..."

Sasuke and Kakashi rolled their eyes, but Naruto smiled.

"Kakashi, Iruka needs clothes to go shopping in," the blond said. "He can't go out in these."

"And shoes," Sasuke added.

"Yes, boys," Kakashi said, standing.

"We'll get him breakfast while you find things for him to wear," Naruto offered, and Kakashi sighed.

"Ordered around in my own house, which one of us is the parent?" he asked.

"Sometimes we wonder the same thing," Sasuke said. "Clothes, socks, shoes," he reminded him.

Kakashi left and the boys showed Iruka around the kitchen to point out where things were located.

Soon, Iruka was dressed and they piled into the car, adults in the front seats.

"I asked Sakura for a list of what you should get," Naruto said. "For, like, different occasions."

"Who's Sakura?" Iruka asked, turning to look towards the back seat.

"Naruto's girlfriend," Kakashi said.

"He wishes," Sasuke chimed in.

"Shut up!" Naruto said. "She's a friend, but she's so fixed on stupid Sasuke that she hasn't accepted a date with me. Yet."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You can have her, she's annoying."

"Nobody is having anyone, Sakura will make her own choice," Kakashi said, and Iruka nodded. "Hopefully she chooses someone else," he added, and Iruka sighed.

"I'm not sure that's parental encouragement," Iruka said, and Kakashi shrugged.

"I never claimed to be parent of the year," he said, and the boys nodded in the backseat.

Iruka laughed, and they moved onto other conversation topics as they drove.

_____

Stepping into the mall, they paused.

"Wow," Iruka breathed, "I haven't been somewhere like this in a while."

"Especially not like this," Sasuke said. "They've done some additions."

"Yeah, it's the best!" Naruto cheered. "The food court is way better than it used to be! We should get food there before we leave."

"Shopping first," Kakashi instructed them. "Man, I wish you were old enough I could just give you a card to use and spare me having to go with."

"You don't like shopping?" Iruka asked, as they set off, following the boys.

Kakashi shrugged, hands in his pockets as they walked. "Maa, I just buy functional clothes, mostly, so I don't really care for it."

Iruka nodded. "But what about for events? Dinners? Dates?"

"Kakashi doesn't date," Sasuke said over his shoulder.

"Yeah, he's all lame like that," Naruto added.

"Boys!" Iruka chided them. "That's not nice."

"It's true," Kakashi admitted. "Because I'm taking care of you brats," he called out, and Sasuke flipped him off.

"We tried to set you up," Sasuke said. "We just didn't know you weren't into women."

"What about you, Iruka?" Naruto asked. "Were you married?"

"Engaged."

"Ooh, fun! Was she nice?" Naruto continued, and Kakashi watched as Iruka bit his lip, nervously.

"He was, at first. It...didn't work out," the brunette said.

"Oh," Naruto said. "Wait, did he kill you?"

"Naruto!" Kakashi hissed, and Sasuke slapped the blond upside the head.

"Oww!"

Iruka sighed. "It's okay, everyone. And...yes, he did."

They walked in silence for a moment.

"Cool!" Naruto finally said, and the group collectively rolled their eyes. "Hey, you and Kakashi should go out sometime!" He ran away to dodge another slap from Sasuke. "What?"

"Dobe, you can't just set them up like that."

"But they're both single and could totally date while Iruka's here!" Naruto fired back.

"Be more subtle about it then," Sasuke sighed. "Let's go in here," he said, steering them into a store.

Naruto pulled out his phone and began to read off Sakura's list, dragging Iruka after him.

"You should get a new shirt or something while we're here," Sasuke said to Kakashi as the two of them casually walked around together.

"Hmm?"

"Yeah. In case you do go out or something."

Kakashi paused and frowned. "You're playing at this too? You want me to go out with an undead guy?"

"He's alive now," Sasuke reminded him. "And the only dead thing around here is your love life," he said, before walking to catch up with the others.

"Brats," Kakashi sighed, but began to flick through a selection of dress shirts.

______

"You don't have to buy all this," Iruka said as they waited to check out.

"Maa, it's fine," Kakashi said, waving it off. "Naruto's right, you need a bit of a variety."

"I don't think I need all this," Iruka said. "Pajamas and a few outfits, sure, but exercise clothes? 'Going out clothes?' Multiple sweaters?" He frowned. "I don't have money, I can't let you pay for all this."

"Really, it's fine," Kakashi said as they stepped forward and began to get rung up. "And hey, since you can get away with my coats being only a little big on you, we save there. Anyway, what you don't wear I'll put away for them or donate or something. Besides, at least he didn't go so overboard as to buy summer clothes."

"He wanted to but I stopped him," Iruka whispered. "We really need to get him to understand I probably won't be here for long."

Kakashi nodded and handed over his credit card, and they soon walked out, all carrying a bag each.

"Okay," Naruto said. "Hygiene stuff at that store, then shoes for Iruka, and me and Sasuke need some new sneakers, and then lunch?"

The others nodded and headed into a store to buy toiletries.

"Deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair stuff, shampoo, soap, and cologne," Naruto read out.

"I don't think I need cologne," Iruka said, blushing slightly.

"Sakura said you do, and she gave some suggestions," Naruto said. "Sasuke and I will pick it out for you!"

They left, and Iruka and Kakashi looked at each other.

"Ah...I'll stand over here with the bags, you do you," Kakashi said, and Iruka exhaled and nodded.

Soon they had left with their purchases and went to a shoe store, with Sasuke and Naruto pointing out trends in sneakers to Iruka, who seemed overwhelmed.

"I don't know what to get," he admitted. "You guys can pick."

They ended up picking three very different styles, with each picking a pair for him. 

"The Naruto shoes," Kakashi said, picking up a box with colorful sneakers. "The Sasuke shoes," for a box with simple black boots, "and my selection," he said, picking up a pair of grey and blue running sneakers.

"Thank you, again," Iruka said.

Kakashi smiled, and Iruka returned the smile, something not missed by the boys.

"Time for food," Sasuke suggested, and they headed to the food court, soon sitting at a table with a fair amount of food in front of them.

Iruka asked about the kids about their classes, and they shared recent stories as they ate, with Iruka laughing and Kakashi shaking his head.

"This was nice," Naruto said as they were cleaning up. "We haven't done this in a while."

Kakashi laughed. "You guys usually just go with friends, or abandon me until it's time to pay."

"True," Sasuke said. "But I get what he's saying, it was....like when our families were alive, and we'd go shopping and all with them."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "Shopping, eating in the food court, going to see family tonight..."

They sat in silence as they processed it, before Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts, because Tsunade is going to drive me crazy later..."

________

They stopped by their house on the way to Tsunade's so they could let the dogs out for a bit.

"Hey, Iruka, you should change into your clothes before we see Grandma Tsunade," Naruto suggested, and Iruka smiled.

"Sounds good!"

Sasuke and Naruto rummaged through the bags and pointed out a few items to him as Kakashi took the dogs out.

Iruka took the clothes up to his room and the boys grabbed a snack before heading out to play with the dogs a bit.

Kakashi was sat on a chair outside scrolling on his phone when the door opened. He looked up, and stared.

"How do I look?" Iruka asked, nervously. He smoothed down the sweater, a black and white striped sweater over jeans, with the boots Sasuke picked out. His hair was pulled up into a brushed ponytail, and Kakashi's delicate sense of smell detected a hint of cologne.

"You...look...uh..." Kakashi said, his mind trying to process this new, even more attractive Iruka in front of him.

"Hey, you look more normal!" Naruto called out, and Sasuke nodded.

"I feel more like myself," Iruka said. "It feels...different...wearing regular clothes and all..."

Kakashi nodded, still unsure of what to say, as the dogs began to head in and the boys came over.

"You smell good!" Naruto said, leaning towards Iruka, who shook his head. 

"You picked it out, so thanks," Iruka said. "Or, thanks to Sakura. Though I don't think it's exactly appropriate for you to smell me..."

Naruto shrugged. "Do you like how he smells?" he asked Kakashi, whose face began to heat up, making the kids laugh.

"Let's go see Dr Senju," Sasuke suggested. "Before Kakashi kills us...."

_____

Tsunade opened the door and frowned at Kakashi.

"Brat," she greeted him. "Where's my favorite kids?"

"Nice to see you too," Kakashi said, rolling his eyes as she stepped aside and let them in.

"Hey Grandma Tsunade!" Naruto greeted her, and she flicked his forehead. 

"You make me feel old," she sighed.

"Dr Senju," Sasuke nodded as he walked past her, and she smiled.

"As polite as ever, Sasuke."

"And this is Iruka," Kakashi said, as the younger man entered.

Tsunade looked at him, surprise clear on her face.

"What...what are you doing here?" she asked him.

Iruka looked at the others, wide-eyed, before looking back at her. "They invited me?"

She shook her head. "No, I mean what are you doing here, in this realm?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the day by day chapters, the rest cover longer time periods so they'll be spread out over the rest of the month. Thanks for reading so far, see you soon!


	4. Life keeps moving on

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

They were sat in Tsunade's reading room, drinking tea, as they caught her up on everything.

She listened, mostly silent, nodding along.

When they finished, she reached next to her chair and pulled a bottle of sake out, pouring herself a generous drink, as the other adults declined.

"Here we go," Kakashi sighed.

"So you knew he was recently revived as soon as you saw him?" Naruto asked, and Tsunade nodded.

"It's written all over you," she said to Iruka. "You died unhappily, traumatically, even. You were dead, and..." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Happy." She nodded. "Dead and happy. Well, as happy as a dead person could be." She pursed her lips as she studied him further. "Now you're alive again and...still happy?"

Iruka shifted in his seat. "I mean, they're nice people, sure? I have nothing to complain about, other than I don't know how to get back."

"You want to go back to being dead?" Sasuke asked, frowning. "Why not just stay?"

Iruka shook his head. "I don't belong in this realm anymore. It's been three years, my friends have moved on, my belongings are gone...I don't exactly exist here anymore. And this wasn't planned, like it is for some people, coming back to life."

The group sat in silence as they processed this. 

"What were you even thinking, summoning a demon?" Tsunade suddenly said to the kids, sighing.

The boys exchanged looks.

"We didn't really think it would work," Sasuke offered.

"Yeah, but even if it did, we only wanted to try to get, like, help," Naruto added.

"Help for what?" she asked.

"I don't know," Naruto said. "I guess...help for Kakashi."

"What do I need help for?" Kakashi asked, surprised.

The boys exchanged another look.

"You've seemed tired from work, and you only hang out with your small group of friends, and you haven't been on a date in forever," Naruto said.

"And you do a lot for us, we thought having help at home and all would be nice," Sasuke added.

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I appreciate it, but summoning a demon is hardly the way to go about it. And stop ragging on me for having a small circle of friends and being single!"

Tsunade laughed. "Yeah, that's my job!" 

A kitchen timer went off before anyone could say anything more, and Tsunade stood.

"Dinner's ready, let's talk more about this while we eat," she said.

____

They did just that, going over the summoning ritual again, as well as Iruka's side of things.

The others listened as Iruka and Tsunade talked about the power of October, and possible ways to communicate with anyone on the other side.

"Well, I doubt it will get to a point where we need to do anything drastic to send you back," she said as the night was drawing to a close. "I think I have some books and things here that I can start going through for some answers. Konoha has some good libraries, maybe there will be things there we can look up too."

"What should I do in the meantime?" Iruka asked. "I don't want to cause a ripple in time or anything."

"Honey, your time has come and gone," Tsunade said, gesturing to him with her drink. "You can do whatever you like, this is your second chance at life, no matter how long it lasts for."

The group thanked her as they began to grab their coats, and at the door she studied them.

"Take good care of Iruka," she instructed them. "And you," she said to Iruka, "have some fun while you're here."

They said goodbye and left, continuing to talk about her suggestions on the ride home.

When they got home, Kakashi turned to the boys.

"I want you to finish up your homework, whatever you didn't get done this morning," he said, and they rolled their eyes but agreed and headed to their rooms. However, they came back down a moment later. 

"Iruka, we thought you should have this," Naruto said, passing a smartphone. "It's Sasuke's old phone."

"You can't call anyone other than emergency, unless you're on wi-fi," Sasuke said. "But we put our numbers and Dr Senju's number in there, and you can surf the internet and all."

"Thank you," Iruka said, smiling as he accepted it.

"Do you know how to use it?" Kakashi asked, as the boys headed back upstairs.

"I do," Iruka said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "I died in recent times, remember, not ancient Rome."

"Sorry, sorry, just checking," Kakashi said, as he opened the door and followed the dogs outside.

Iruka followed him out a moment later. "Uh...wait...this isn't an android phone, I might need some help after all..."

_________

That week, Kakashi worked from home as the kids went to school, since they hadn't wanted to leave Iruka home alone.

They fell into a routine, of the adults waking early and getting the kids up and out the door on time, which was easier now that Iruka was able to help. He would make their lunches and keep them on a morning schedule, while also ensuring Naruto didn't sneak instant ramen for breakfast.

Then Kakashi would head to his home office and Iruka would sit with some books Tsunade gave him, as well as the internet, and spend time researching his...predicament.

Wednesday afternoon, Asuma called to talk about one of their clients, as he worked with Kakashi.

"Is this a good time?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "Just finishing lunch."

"Lunch?" Asuma asked, surprised. "Since when do you actually take time to eat lunch if you're not in the office with us bringing it to your desk?"

"Maa, Iruka made it and brought it to me, so I'm as spoiled as ever," Kakashi said, without thinking.

"Iruka? Who's that?"

Kakashi mentally kicked himself. "Ah, he's..." His mind raced, how to explain him? "A home helper, kind of? Um...Tsunade hired him to help out around the house, whip the kids into shape, that sort of thing." Kakashi forced a chuckle. "Guess she thought I wasn't doing a good enough job myself."

To his surprise, and annoyance, Asuma laughed. "Sounds about right. But hey, if she's paying someone to cook and clean and take care of the kids more, why not?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes at his friend's clear acceptance of his parental shortcomings and moved the conversation back to work matters.

He rubbed his face with a hand when the call ended.

"Only a matter of time before he tells everyone," Kakashi sighed.

_______

The previous night Iruka had commented on starting to feel cooped up, so Wednesday night he made plans to go to the main branch of the Konoha library system, where he could do research and meet the boys later for them to do some schoolwork too.

They did this Thursday and Friday, and Iruka would share anything he had found with them and Kakashi over dinner at home.

Friday, however, also meant pizza and movie night, and they introduced Iruka to this tradition.

"What toppings do you like?" Naruto asked Iruka, who thought about it.

"I mean, I like pineapple, or sweet peppers," Iruka said. "I know, it's not for everyone though."

"Pineapple? Gross," Sasuke sighed. "But I could do the peppers."

"Okay," Kakashi said, picking up his phone. "One with sweet peppers, one with pepperoni, one with sausage."

"Three pies?" Iruka asked, surprised. 

"They eat a lot," Kakashi said. "Guys, pick out a movie with Iruka while I call this in," he said, walking to another room.

As he hung up from placing the order, he saw Genma had texted asking him to call when he had time.

"Yo," Kakashi said when Genma answered.

"You showing up tomorrow or what?" Genma asked.

Kakashi groaned, remembering it was poker night on Saturday. "I have to miss it again," he said.

"You're becoming lame," Gemma said. "Next week it's at your house, no cancelling, no excuses," he said, hanging up before Kakashi could respond.

He shook his head and rejoined the others, and they spent that night eating pizza and watching a martial arts movie.

"So cool!" Naruto said later as the credits rolled. "Sasuke and I can do some of that stuff, we train with Gai-sensei a few times a week."

"Who?" Iruka asked.

"One of my friends," Kakashi said. "He owns a martial arts studio and teaches a lot of classes there, a few different styles."

"Oh, right," Iruka said. "I forgot you said you guys do that, it's been a crazy week settling in. You know, I learned some of that myself."

"Really?" Sasuke asked, interested. "When? Where?"

"Ah, uh, when I was dead," Iruka said, slightly embarrassed. "I mean, you have lots of time, all you have is time, so you can do a lot."

Kakashi laughed. "You have all the time in the world and you spent it working and learning martial arts?"

"I also did a lot of reading, and I had some friends," Iruka reminded him. "But, yeah, why not? I didn't want to go back to how my life had been, so I did some different stuff with it."

"Cool!" Naruto shouted. "You could spar with us tonight! Let's go!"

"It's getting late," Iruka pointed out. "Maybe tomorrow?"

The boys agreed, and Iruka yawned.

"Even after a week, I'm still getting used to being alive. Plus I think I ate too much pizza, so I'm going to head to bed," he said.

"It's a Friday night, you're supposed to stay up late," Naruto laughed.

"I'm tired too," Kakashi said, "and it's almost eleven, so, close enough. Don't stay up too late," he said to Naruto and Sasuke, and headed upstairs after Iruka.

"As if they'll listen," Iruka laughed, and Kakashi sighed.

"They're teenagers, what can I say."

_______

The next morning Iruka stumbled down in his pajamas, hair tussled and a yawn on his face.

"Iruka! Finally!" Naruto sighed. "We've been up for a while."

Iruka looked bashful as he poured a cup of coffee. "How late is it?"

"Not very," Kakashi said. "Ten?"

"Really?" Iruka sighed. "I wonder if I'll really get used to this all again..."

"Naruto's lying anyway," Sasuke said. "He just got up like, ten minutes ago."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke and turned to Iruka. "Will you spar with us this morning? Please?"

Iruka laughed. "Sure, after my coffee. But only if you both promise to do your homework after?"

The boys agreed and set off to get ready, leaving Iruka and Kakashi in the kitchen.

"For someone who didn't really sleep when you were dead, you do an awful lot of it now," Kakashi laughed, and Iruka shrugged but laughed too. "And you get the kids to do their homework on time? I might just try to keep you around here myself," Kakashi said, as he left the kitchen, leaving Iruka alone, with a slight blush on his face.

___

The next day, Sunday, the kids left to hang out with their friends, and Kakashi and Iruka lazed around the house with the dogs as it was a rainy fall day.

They drifted in and out of different rooms, and in the early afternoon, Kakashi found Iruka sitting in a chair in the living room, curled up and looking out the window, a sad look on his face.

"What's up?" Kakashi said, sitting in a chair nearby.

Iruka looked at him, blinking several times. "Nothing," he said, shrugging.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "I've got a lot of experience in reading people and making them tell me what they're trying to hide. I know something's bothering you, so tell me before I get it out of you in other ways."

Iruka gave him a small, weary smile. "Kakashi Hatake, man of the world. What is it you do for work, again?"

Kakashi shrugged. "A bit of this and that. Post-military special work. Like you see in movies, but a lot of things you don't know of. Private sector now, where the big money is."

"Do you like it?"

"I do," Kakashi said. "It's easier than when I was active duty, and my friends I worked with there work with me now. They handle more of the administrative stuff, I do the dirtier work."

"I see," Iruka said. "It beats the teaching jobs I used to do."

"That's a noble job. But, you're changing the subject," Kakashi sighed. 

They sat in silence for a moment, the only sounds that of rain hitting the house, and soft snores from dogs scattered around.

"I...I looked him up, online," Iruka said, softly.

"Who?"

"My ex, Mizuki." Iruka sighed and rubbed his face with a hand. "I couldn't help it."

They sat in silence again.

"Do you know, he's married now?" Iruka spoke. "Married, to a woman, with two kids. Perfect little family. I think she's the daughter of a family his family knew, something like that. A wealthy one, I can tell you that."

"Iruka --" Kakashi began, but he was cut off.

"He always did want power," Iruka continued. "Power, money, the works. And I couldn't give him all that." He smiled softly at Kakashi. "Teachers don't make much money." Iruka sighed again. "He gets to keep on living and moving forward in life, and I ended up dead."

"I can't believe he wasn't charged," Kakashi said, unsure of what else to say.

Iruka pursed his lips. "He had scummy friends with their own power. I'm sure it was made to look like an accident or something. Not that it matters now."

They sat in silence, again. Kakashi drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as he thought about it all.

"Get your shoes," he said suddenly, and Iruka looked at him, confused. "We're going out."

"What?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I'm taking you out, to have some fun or something. Cheer you up. Come on."

Iruka looked at him, before giving him a small smile. "Okay, give me five minutes."

They were soon in the car, driving through the rain. 

"So many of your neighbors decorate for Halloween," Iruka commented. "You guys don't?"

Kakashi considered this. "I don't think it ever really crossed our minds. The kids go out, sure, but beyond that, I don't know."

"What do you do on Halloween?" Iruka asked.

"Maa, I wasn't around for too many until recently," Kakashi said. "I went to a party the year before I took the kids in, and last year I think I gave out candy? Naruto insisted I had to..."

Iruka laughed. "I can imagine that." He paused. "You're not much older than me, right?" Kakashi nodded. "Yet you left active duty young?"

Kakashi shrugged as he turned down another street. "The direction of our...program...was changing, and some of us were...excluded. Worked out for the best for everyone. The higher ups got what they wanted and who they wanted, and some of us got out alive and honorably, and with enough money and connections to be more than good to go."

Iruka nodded as he thought about this, and they soon pulled into a parking lot.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"A barcade," Kakashi said, as they got out and hurried towards an entrance. "Restaurant-bar-thing with arcade games, different things. More for adults than kids, hence the focus on the bar part."

They headed inside and spent the next two hours playing different games, with Iruka winning driving games and a few fighting games, but Kakashi dominating any shooting games.

"You do have more experience," Iruka sighed as Kakashi killed his character off with a perfect shot.

"Good thing we didn't wager on it," Kakashi laughed, as they moved to get something to eat.

As they sat with their food, Iruka smiled.

"Thanks," he said. "I do feel better."

"I'm glad," Kakashi replied. "It's the least I could do. I know how it feels, if that helps."

Iruka nodded and they ate in comfortable silence.

"Let's go to the fortune telling machine," a woman said to another as they passed the table. "I want to know what's going to happen this week!"

"You know," Iruka said after they had passed, "there's people in the afterlife who really do know what's going to happen for us, to us."

"Oh?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like, fortune tellers, or soothsayers, or something like that."

Kakashi snorted. "Like in the movies, little old ladies and varying candles for our lives, or red strings?"

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Yes and no, they have their own quirks and ways to do it. I used to help a few out here and there on errands. I asked about my own life once, figuring there was no harm as I was already dead."

"Makes sense," Kakashi agreed.

"You know what they told me? 'It's such a pity you haven't met the love of your life yet.' "

"What?"

"I know, right?" Iruka laughed. "They said they couldn't tell me much, but there was something about 'Cerebus.'"

"Cere-what?" Kakashi asked, and Iruka smiled.

"Cerebus, a mythical dog with multiple heads."

Kakashi considered this. "Strange thing to tell you. What does it mean?"

"No clue," Iruka said, finishing his food. "I forget about it from time to time, but it's comforting to know that Mizuki wasn't it for me, even if I have to wait for, well, who knows how long to meet my person."

Kakashi nodded. "That's one way to look at it. I'm not sure I believe in all that stuff, myself."

"True love, or fortune telling?"

Kakashi laughed. "Both?"

Just then, his phone rang, and he apologized, saying it was work-related. Iruka nodded and Kakashi stepped away for a few minutes to take it.

He returned a short time later, a frown on his face.

"Everything okay?" Iruka asked.

"I don't know," Kakashi admitted. "Something's come up with a client abroad, and I need to fly out for a few days, but that would leave Naruto and Sasuke home alone."

"Well, I'm there," Iruka said. "I mean, I could watch them, make sure the house doesn't burn down?"

Kakashi considered this. "Maybe? It can be a lot, wrangling those guys."

Iruka smiled. "I'm sure I can handle it, but we can head back and talk to them first?"

Kakashi nodded and they began to head home, where they talked it over with Sasuke and Naruto.

"Cool, this will be so much fun!" Naruto said, jumping up and down.

Sasuke sighed. "Ignore him, we'll be fine," he said to Kakashi. "When do you have to leave?"

"Tonight, in a few hours," he said. "I can take you all grocery shopping now, then I'll have to pack and head to the airport."

They agreed, and before long, the three had a fully stocked kitchen and were waving goodbye to Kakashi.

"Good luck!" he called out as he drove off, shaking his head to himself. "You're going to need it..."


	5. Well that was unexpected...

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

Kakashi, to his surprise, had nothing to worry about, both at work or home.

The work trip was going fairly well, and was largely under control the first day he got there, but he would still need to remain there for a few days to check things over and troubleshoot other concerns in advance.

He called home at least once a day to check in, and kept tabs on the boys on their social media accounts.

He called on Monday and found out Tsunade had come over to review information she found in different books with Iruka.

"Kiba drove us to go shopping after dinner tonight!" Naruto texted Kakashi on Tuesday, along with a video of Halloween decorations Sasuke and Iruka were putting up. Later that night Naruto's tiktok channel had a video of him, Sasuke, and Iruka doing what Kakashi could only assume was a viral dance challenge thing, all while wearing Halloween masks.

Sasuke's channel later showed him and Iruka sneaking behind Naruto and scaring him.

Kakashi watched that video multiple times, the loud shriek of a scared Naruto making him cry with laughter.

Thursday night, to his surprise, Gai called him, crying.

"Rival!"

"Gai? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, my hippest friend! I am so, so happy!"

Kakashi sighed and closed his work laptop. "What is it now?"

"Iruka! How wonderful for you!"

"Iruka? What?"

"Yes! Naruto and Sasuke brought him along to train tonight, he is a most kind and sturdy man!"

"Sturdy?" Kakashi asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Ah, the boys told me of his training, so I challenged him to spar, and the children encouraged it! The class benefited from seeing our skills put to the test, a most youthful exchange of wills and strength! He was most passionate about it, and so doting on your kids! I'm so happy he's in your life!"

"Ah," Kakashi said. "Uh..."

"To think, you're no longer alone! You have a precious person again!"

"He's not my --"

"Someone to spend time with, to help at home, to be a rock for you, and you for him! And all because Tsunade worked her magic!"

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his face. Asuma, he groaned to himself. "Yeah, something like that," he sighed.

"I have to go, but I will see you soon!" Gai said, hanging up before Kakashi could say anything more.

He flopped onto the hotel bed and stared at the ceiling, unsure of what had transpired tonight, before his phone rang again.

"What is it now, Gai?" he asked, as he had answered it without checking.

"What? No, don't you check caller ID?" Naruto shouted. "Did you see Gai-sensei's facebook page? He posted a video of him and Iruka sparring!"

"No, I haven't seen it yet," Kakashi said, "but I'll look now."

"Hold on, Iruka wants to talk to you," Naruto said, and Iruka came on.

"Hi, Kakashi, how are you?"

"Maa, well, you? I heard you found yourself a new opponent today?"

Iruka laughed. "Something like that. Look, I wanted to tell you that Dr Senju said she might have a way to, well, make contact, for lack of a better term. She was thinking of trying it tomorrow, and the boys were asking if they could be part of it? It'll happen at her house as she has some things there we need. She thinks that since they summoned me, it could help to have them there, but I wanted to ask you and see what you thought about it?"

"Say yes!" one of the boys shouted in the background, and Kakashi shook his head at their antics.

"I guess it's okay, if she thinks they'll be safe," he said. "Should I plan to get you all from her place on my way home from the airport tomorrow night?"

"We could stay the night there," Sasuke said, clearly having taken the phone from Iruka. "She said we could, and you could get us Saturday morning."

"Well, if it's okay with her," Kakashi said. "Be safe, yeah?"

"We will!" all three shouted, and they soon hung up.

Kakashi clicked onto Gai's school's facebook page and watched an impressive spar between the two adults.

He laid in bed thinking about the calls and video over the past few days, the feeling of knowing he had a family to come back home to washing over him, even if one of them was temporary...

_____

Kakashi arrived home Friday night and couldn't help but laugh when he saw the decorations the others had set up outside. Cobwebs, ghosts, and carved pumpkins decorated the front yard.

Stepping inside, he was greeted by his dogs, who he wrestled with for a few minutes before moving around the house, taking in the decorations that had been set up inside, including bats, skeletons, and ghosts.

"Leave it to Naruto to find orange bats," he sighed as he walked around.

Kakashi checked his phone and saw new messages reminding him that the other three wouldn't be around their phones tonight due to whatever it was they were getting up to.

"I guess Iruka's been busy, hmm?" he asked the dogs, who barked happily.

Continuing to peer around, Kakashi saw the house was not only decorated, but also tidier than it had been. Naruto's room was fairly clean for once, and it looked like they had actually eaten the vegetables Kakashi had bought before he left.

"Iruka's a good influence on us all, isn't he?" Kakashi said to Pakkun, as they sat on the sofa, lounging. "I think we'll miss him when he leaves..."

______

Kakashi woke the next morning still laying on the sofa, clearly having fallen asleep there. He stretched and let the dogs out, then fed them, made himself coffee, and showered and changed before heading to Tsunade's house.

He knocked on the door, figuring at least one person had to be up as it was nine in the morning.

A tired looking Sasuke opened the door. "Morning," he yawned.

"You look exhausted," Kakashi greeted him, following him inside.

"Thanks," Sasuke grumbled. "It was a long night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he said as they headed into the kitchen, where the others were setting the table for breakfast.

"Just in time, for once," Tsunade said, and Kakashi scowled at her.

They sat at the table and began to eat.

"So?" Kakashi asked. "How did whatever you did go?"

"It was cool!" Naruto said. "It was, like, a séance or something."

"Dr Senju feels she was able to connect with the right spirits," Iruka said.

"We passed a message along," Tsunade informed him.

"And?" Kakashi asked, but the others shrugged.

"Well, it seemed like a one-way channel," Tsunade replied. "So we may have to wait and see."

"What did you say to them?" Kakashi asked.

Iruka pursed his lips as he thought about it. "Umm, where I am, who I'm with. That I'm okay, but don't know how to get back. Asking them to help me? That sort of thing."

"Do you really have to go back?" Naruto asked, sighing. "Why can't you stay here?"

"I, I don't belong here," Iruka said, softly. "I died, you know that, Naruto. I had my time, and I had to move on. I should get back to where I'm supposed to be. We've talked about this..."

"You could be supposed to be here!" Naruto said, slightly angry. "You're having fun, and we have fun with you, and we all get along! You're good for us, and we're good for you! You could stay, we can find a way!"

"I don't know we can," Iruka began, but Naruto stormed off, with Sasuke sighing and following behind him, leaving the others in silence.

"It must be hard, having someone come into your life and leave so soon, after all they've been through," Tsunade mused.

"It's not easy for me, either," Iruka sighed. "But nothing we found anywhere says it's possible to stay here."

Tsunade shrugged. "We haven't found a ton about this sort of thing happening, period," she said. "When a demon is summoned, it can go back and forth, so why can't a human?"

"I don't think I'd want to go back and forth," Iruka said. "It would probably become too hard for me, being here and there."

"Would you want to stay?" Kakashi asked, and Iruka looked at him in surprise. "If you could?"

"I....I'm not sure," Iruka said, sitting back in his chair. "I have nothing here. No money, no job, nothing to say I have anything to my name. No identification, even!"

Kakashi shrugged. "I know people, we could get that stuff easily."

Iruka laughed, a sad laugh. "I don't think that's how it works. A deceased person suddenly getting all those things? Think of all the legal red flags it would raise." He shook his head. "It's probably best for me to head back."

"Well," Tsunade said. "All we can do is wait. In the meantime, I think those kids need a distraction..."

_______

Tsunade helped to talk to the boys and remind them that nothing was known about Iruka's status and so nothing had changed, which seemed to cheer them up a bit.

Iruka and Kakashi took Sasuke and Naruto out for the rest of the morning and afternoon, including the movies, lunch, and a few errands.

They were almost back home, discussing dinner plans, when Kakashi's phone rang. He answered it and Genma shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hey man, we're heading over soon. You're hosting, we're playing, prepare to lose. We're not taking a 'no' tonight!"

Genma hung up and Kakashi sighed. 

"What was that all about?" Iruka asked.

"It's his poker night or whatever," Sasuke said. "He gets together with his friends most Saturday nights and they lose to each other."

"I cancelled the last two weeks because of all this," Kakashi admitted. " And they decided it's my turn to host," he groaned. "Maybe I should drop you guys off somewhere for a while? Another movie?"

"They can meet Iruka!" Naruto suggested. "They'll love him!"

"How do I explain him?" Kakashi countered.

"You already have," Sasuke said. "Aside from Gai-sensei, they just haven't met him yet."

Kakashi considered this but still couldn't figure a way out. They arrived home and took the pack on a walk, arriving home just as the other cars were turning down their street.

"Here goes nothing," Kakashi said, turning to the kids. "Take Iruka in quickly so he's not swarmed out here."

The others guided the dogs inside, and Kakashi remained outside to greet his friends, who boisterously greeted him before they all headed in.

"Food's on its way, I've got the beer, Asuma's got the cards and chips," Genma said as they cleared off the dining room table. "Where's your money, losers? And this new guy?"

"Who?" Kakashi asked, playing dumb.

"The steady Iruka!" Gai cried. "I have sung his praises and the others want to meet him! Surely he will play with us tonight?"

"Yeah, Kakashi," Asuma agreed. "Get Iruka in on this."

Kakashi sighed and left the room to find Iruka upstairs with the boys.

"They want you to join us," Kakashi said. "I could say you're sick?"

Iruka laughed. "If I can face demons, I can face some of your friends."

"I'm not so sure about that," Kakashi sighed, and all three followed him down.

The kids were greeted by the adults, who gave Naruto a new video game as a belated birthday gift, and Iruka was introduced as the doorbell rang for the dinner delivery.

Soon, the kids had grabbed food and headed to another room to play their new game, and the adults sat with their food and began to play.

"Are you good at poker?" Genma asked, and Iruka shrugged.

"I play here and there."

Genma grinned. "Sounds like it's going to be a good night for my wallet!"

They made small talk as they played, catching up on this and that and asking Iruka questions about himself.

After about an hour into play, they took a break. Iruka left the room for a few moments and the others turned to Kakashi.

"So that's why you've been cancelling?" Genma asked, clapping him on the back. "Been getting busy with him, eh?"

"It's not like that," Kakashi protested, but the others shook their heads.

"A most worthy partner for my rival!" Gai shouted, as the others shushed him.

Asuma followed Kakashi into the kitchen.

"I haven't seen you this happy in a while," the other man said to him, and Kakashi looked at him. "Not since Obito..."

Kakashi thought about this for a moment. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "I mean, this is all kind of temporary though."

Asuma shrugged. "That's a shame, you guys seem pretty good with each other."

Just then the kids came in to grab more food, and Kakashi was grateful for the distraction.

They returned to playing soon, and the others sighed as Iruka's winnings began to pile up.

"How did you learn to play so good?" Genma asked as they were leaving later that night, and Iruka shrugged.

"I've played against some top players," he said, waving goodbye as he turned to clean up. Kakashi walked the others to the door.

"I want to play against him more, but man, my wallet," Genma sighed. "I need to brush up on my skills before next weekend..."

"Keep him around," Asuma told Kakashi. "He's good for you."

Kakashi nodded and closed the door in Gai's face before he could start spouting "eternal love" claims.

Sighing, he went to help Iruka.

"Really, where did you learn to play?" Kakashi asked, and Iruka blushed slightly.

"Well, I've met a range of people since I died, and some were quite skilled in poker, especially reading tells," he admitted. "Genma's not as good or sneaky as he thinks he is. Ah, but I wanted you to have my winnings," he said, passing Kakashi the bills he had won.

"Not at all," Kakashi said, hands up in front of him. "You won them."

"Kakashi, you fronted me the money for tonight, and anyway, you've spent how much on me since I was summoned?"

Kakashi shook his head. "It's fine, really. Hold onto it."

Iruka frowned. "I'm going to make you take this, even if I have to hide it in your room."

Kakashi laughed. "Just don't blame me for whatever you find in my drawers. It's a mix of clothes, underwear, and work tools."

Iruka shook his head. "I don't even want to know..."

_______

The following week was not only Iruka's third week among the living, but also the week of Halloween, occurring that Saturday.

By now, the household had fallen even more into a comfortable routine. Iruka had his own keys, and after helping get the kids up and out the door, he would exercise, clean, take the dogs out, read up on his situation, and wander around Konoha, sometimes combining these activities. He would often visit different branches of the Konoha library, as well as go to different museums, for just something to do, as well as to see if anything there could relate to his predicament.

Evenings were spent helping the kids with schoolwork or sparring, helping Kakashi cook or clean up from dinner, and watching television or working on the boys' Halloween costumes.

That Tuesday, however, Tsunade rang the doorbell as they were sitting down to dinner, and she excitedly updated them as she ate.

"Here," she said, thrusting several papers at Iruka.

"What's this?" he asked, looking at them. They were covered in various states of writing and dates or numbers.

"I fell asleep for a bit this afternoon," Tsunade said, "and I woke up as I was finishing writing these."

"You mean, you got drunk during the daytime and passed out, then came to," Kakashi offered, and was met with a glare from her.

"I had a dream this afternoon, of sitting in a room with several women. Older than me, wearing different clothing, almost robes. They said they knew you, and asked about you," she said to Iruka. "How you were doing, who you were with, were you happy? I guess our other message didn't fully get passed on? Or maybe they wanted to hear it directly? Anyway, they called you 'Rukie-kun'," she said, and the boys burst out laughing.

Iruka blushed and hid his face. "The soothsayers' nickname for me, how embarrassing!" he groaned, before his head snapped up. "The soothsayers! They came to you in a dream?"

"I suppose so," Tsunade said. "I think what I wrote was their message for you, but I can't quite read it."

"Shocker," Kakashi drawled, ignoring the frown from Tsunade.

"It's different languages," Iruka said. "Some older ones, ones they knew I was studying, though!"

"What's it say?" Naruto asked, leaning to look at the pages.

"I think I'll need a bit of time to figure it out," Iruka said. "Let's finish eating, and I'll get to it then."

_____

It turned out that it took Iruka more than just after dinner to not only translate but make sense of it all, and he hadn't finished until well after midnight.

The next morning, Kakashi and the boys found Iruka asleep at the dining room table, papers spread out in front of him.

They gently woke him, and he rubbed his face.

"Did you figure it out?" Naruto asked him, as Sasuke passed him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," Iruka said. "I did. Umm, maybe we should discuss this later."

"We have school then training," Naruto said. "I want to know, now!"

"Naruto," Kakashi scolded. "Let him be."

"It's fine," Iruka sighed. "It, uh, it says that I can stay in this realm --"

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, interrupting him.

"--if a blood commitment is made by Halloween night," Iruka finished, and the room was silent.

"What?" Sasuke and Kakashi asked in unison.

Iruka shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "A blood commitment, a small amount of blood, has to be made, or offered, to keep me here. But, it's a big commitment overall. Like, sealing us together."

"So, it would be like adopting you?" Naruto asked, and Iruka nodded.

"Kind of, I guess?"

"Can anyone do it?" Sasuke asked, and Iruka nodded.

"We should totally do it!" Naruto said. "We could all do it, and then we'll be a family!"

"Naruto," Iruka sighed. "You can't talk like that. First, I can't ask that of any of you. Second, it probably has big repercussions."

"But Kakashi and Sasuke and I like you," Naruto whined. 

"Well, for you and Sasuke it would probably be one type of commitment," Iruka said, blushing. "But Kakashi is an adult, and that would change things. He can't do it. Anyway, what time is it? I don't want you all to be late," he said, standing and moving to make their lunches.

"But why can't Kakashi do it?" Naruto asked.

Iruka sighed. "When he eventually meets someone, it would be complicated, for me and Kakashi. Let's talk about this later, okay?"

"I wouldn't mind," Kakashi said, and the others turned to look at him. He shrugged. "Just saying," he said, as he left the room.

Iruka looked at Sasuke, who shrugged, and Naruto, who grinned.

"Don't even start," Iruka sighed. "We'll talk later."


	6. Decisions are made

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

Their conversations after that revolved around Iruka staying, Iruka's concerns about staying, and Halloween.

And Iruka had many, many concerns, similar to ones he had already expressed.

What would he do for work? For money? Where would he live? How would he get identification of any kind? How would he explain the gap on his resume?

Naruto was optimistic, and dragged the others into it.

"We'll figure out how to get you identification," Sasuke said as they talked about it Thursday night. "Kakashi said he knows people, remember?"

"That sounds like fraud," Iruka said, frowning, but the others shrugged.

"And you could be a teacher again," Naruto suggested. "Or something else! Find a new job! But, wouldn't you still live here?"

Iruka pursed his lips. "I don't know that's appropriate. Besides, if I can get a job and income, I'll be able to pay my own way again, so I could find a place to rent. You could come visit," he said softly, but Naruto crossed his arms.

"No! You're my summons, and with my blood you'll be my adopted person! You're living here, with us!"

"Dobe, it's not your house to just do that with," Sasuke sighed. "You have to check with Kakashi," he said, just as the other man was coming into the room.

"Check with me about what?"

"If Iruka could continue to live here when he stays?" Naruto asked.

The boys looked at Kakashi, but Iruka excused himself from the room quickly.

"You're making it weird," Sasuke said to Kakashi, who raised his eyebrows in question.

"Me? What did I do?"

"It's what you're not doing," Sasuke pointed out. "You haven't fully told Iruka he can stay."

"I said I was okay with doing a blood commitment, what more do I have to say?" Kakashi sighed. "He can stay here if he wants, but he's an adult, and he might want his own space."

"But the blood sealing says he's family, and he'll be yours, and you'll be his, and we all have to live here together! As family!" Naruto shouted angrily.

"Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi said, softly. "I know this is bringing up a lot of things about losing your families. But we can't force Iruka to be part of us."

"It's not forcing, but we have to keep him!" Naruto said. "You have to let him know you want him here!"

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm not good at this sort of thing. What if we're just pressuring him? Maybe he was happy where he was."

"Then he wouldn't be concerned about work and money and where he's living," Sasuke pointed out. "And if he didn't want to be here he wouldn't be spending time with us like he is, taking care of all of us."

Just then, Naruto's phone rang.

"Hey Grandma Tsunade," he said. "Let me put you on speaker, Sasuke and Kakashi are here."

"Where's Iruka?" she asked.

"Uh, he went to the bathroom," Naruto said.

"Well, you all need to come over tomorrow evening," Tsunade said. "I had another dream and the women told me to bring you all so they can talk to you."

"What?!" the others shouted, surprised.

"You heard me," she snapped. "Don't be late."

She hung up, and they looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

______

Friday night found them at Tsunade's house, in her study. 

"This feels like something out of a movie," Sasuke commented, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, darkness, candles, and aromatherapy help," she said.

"And the booze?" Kakashi asked, dodging a punch thrown his way.

"Let's begin," Tsunade said, settling into a chair.

The others joined her, with Naruto to her left, and Sasuke to his left. Iruka was at Tsunade's right, with Kakashi sat between him and Sasuke.

"Hold hands," she instructed, and Iruka blushed as he gently held Kakashi's hand.

Naruto nudged Sasuke and nodded at the adults, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Tsunade closed her eyes and began to take measured breaths, mumbling to herself, while the others remained silent.

After an unknown period of time, her head slumped forward slightly.

"Did she fall asleep?" Sasuke asked.

"Or pass out drunk?" Kakashi whispered back.

Iruka and Naruto shushed them, and they continued to sit in silence.

Suddenly...

"Rukie-kun? Are you there?" Tsunade said, in a voice slightly shriller than her usual one.

The others looked at her, wide-eyed.

"I-I'm here," Iruka said, blinking at her. "Who are you?"

"Rukie-kun, it's us!" Tsunade said, laughing, though her head was still slumped forward. "Your favorite ladies!"

"Oh...I...what..." Iruka began, before laughing. "How are you all?"

"Alive, or whatever," Tsunade said. "We miss you!"

"I miss you, too," Iruka said, smiling. "Is Sven helping you while I'm away?"

Tsunade's face morphed into a playful scowl. "He is, but he's not as helpful as you."

"Well, I'll be sure to show him the ropes more when I get back," Iruka said, not seeing Naruto and Sasuke frowning at his response.

"Not too soon, we hope," Tsunade said. "You're doing so well there, Rukie-kun."

Iruka sighed. "I'm just existing, I'm not doing much here."

"You're helping us!" Naruto said. "You're helping around the house, and with our homework!"

"And our training," Sasuke said. "And just...being around."

Tsunade smiled. "You have such love around you."

Iruka felt his face grow hot at the comment. "I do, and I'm appreciative, but I...I just dropped in on them."

Tsunade shrugged. "They've accepted you, that's what counts. And they want you to stay."

"And if I do?" Iruka asked. "What do I do? How do I do anything?"

"It will all work out, we'll see to that," Tsunade said. She smiled softly. "So much love in this room for you, Rukie-kun." Her smile grew. "And, ooh! We see you've met your true love!"

"What?" everyone asked.

"We did say you hadn't met them yet," Tsunade laughed. "So funny, how love works."

Naruto was bouncing up and down in his seat from excitement, looking between Iruka and Kakashi, who turned to look at each other.

"But...Cerebus..." Iruka said, at a loss of what else to say.

Tsunade shook her head. "Ah, I'm here," Tsunade said, as her voice changed again into another woman's voice, with a slight accent to it. "I...may have misinterpreted it."

"What?" Iruka asked.

"Not one dog with multiple heads, but multiple dogs," Tsunade said, shrugging slightly. "It's a weird translation, I know."

Iruka looked at Kakashi, who shrugged. 

"I'm happy for you to stay," Kakashi said. "Me, and my multiple dogs."

"I....but..." Iruka said, unsure of what to say.

"And you don't have to move out," Kakashi continued, Sasuke kicking him under the table to prompt him. "We, I, want you to stay with us, if you want to."

"But the commitment," Iruka said, softly.

"It's a commitment," Kakashi agreed. "I'm not saying I'm proposing, but we've been living together for three weeks. I think it's a pretty good start to something."

Iruka smiled softly, and Tsunade laughed.

"Then it's decided. Just get it done before Halloween night," she said.

"I'll miss you all," Iruka said to Tsunade, tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Rukie-kun," Tsunade said in a soft voice. "We already miss you, but we're so happy knowing you're happy again. It will be a happiness you haven't even known. And we'll see you again, but not for a long time. None of you for a long time."

Iruka bit his lip and blinked back tears.

"Thank you," he said softly, and Kakashi gently squeezed his hand.

"Hey, old ladies?" Naruto said to Tsunade, who turned to him with a scowl.

"Mind your manners, Uzumaki," she said. "Your parents didn't teach you to be rude, though your father is laughing at this..."

"He's there? They're there?" Naruto asked. "That's what I was going to ask about!"

Tsunade nodded. "They're at another place here, but keeping tabs," she said. "And they give their blessing. Also, they asked us to tell you to eat more vegetables, Naruto, and Sasuke, call Itachi more."

The boys nodded, and Tsunade sighed.

"We need to go, but heed what we said tonight!" she said, before taking a deep sigh and sitting back in her chair more.

The others looked around in silence.

"What should we do?" Iruka whispered, and the others shrugged.

Just then, Tsunade gave a big yawn and lifted her head, blinking her eyes open.

"What did I miss?"

______

They did the blood commitment at her house that night, and the boys were disappointed it hadn't required much blood from anyone.

"Only a few drops and a thumbprint? That's so lame!" Naruto sighed, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I guess I'm stuck as part of your family for good now," Sasuke sneered at Naruto, who laughed.

"Ha! Sucker!"

They eventually headed home where they all headed straight to bed, exhausted from the night's events.

Waking up the next day, nothing had seemingly changed.

"I thought something would happen," Naruto said over breakfast. 

"We don't know it hasn't," Iruka suggested. "But it doesn't really feel any different..."

"Other than it's Halloween," Sasuke said, and the others looked at him. "What? I know it's not really different, but just saying..."

"Well, I expect all homework done today," Iruka reminded them. "Since you'll be out with your friends tonight and probably eat too much candy tomorrow."

Kakashi laughed. "I never did thank you boys for summoning help for here," he said. "Now I don't have to be the one to help with homework and cleaning your rooms."

Iruka rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to be the bad parent, thank you very much."

"But you're so good at getting them to do homework on time," Kakashi sighed, and Naruto and Sasuke exchanged looks about the interaction.

The kids soon left to work in their rooms, and Iruka and Kakashi sat outside with the dogs.

"I guess now we have a lot to talk about," Kakashi said, linking their hands, and Iruka smiled at him.

______

Halloween came and went, and Sasuke and Naruto went trick or treating with friends, dressed as a vampire and fox, respectively.

Iruka and Kakashi stayed home and gave out candy, then watched a scary movie and Iruka corrected all the inaccuracies of the demons in it.

The kids came back and told them all about their night, and they watched another movie, before heading to bed.

Sunday, November 1, Iruka woke up feeling pleasant. He stretched in bed and laid there, looking at the ceiling of the guest bedroom, his bedroom.

Thoughts about the past few days went through his mind, and he thought about what his future could be, now that he had one?

Rubbing his face, he picked up his phone, figuring he would flick through some news, and maybe start looking into work or going back to school, when he saw he had a number of notifications, and new apps installed.

"I don't remember putting these on there," he said, scrolling through.

He saw a notification that he now had a new phone number attached to the phone, and wrinkled his brow as he tried to make sense of it.

Iruka opened his text messaging, along with an email that was attached to his phone.

"This wasn't my email address before," he murmured to himself.

He opened emails and sat up as he tried to take the news in.

"What?" he shouted, and jumped out of bed, running into the hallway. He knocked on Kakashi's bedroom door, which was partly open anyway for the dogs.

"Yo," a voice called out, and Iruka pushed the door open.

"You have to see this!" he shouted, and jumped onto the bed.

Naruto and Sasuke came running in, awakened by the noise.

"What's happening?" Sasuke asked, rubbing his face.

"This is crazy!" Iruka said. "My phone, it...it changed! I have a new number, email...I have emails with all my information back!"

"What?" Naruto asked, and Kakashi nodded, looking over Iruka's shoulder.

"My teaching certificates, my diplomas, my credit scores," Iruka said. "Actually, better credit scores. And my new drivers license is being processed and in the mail soon. It's like I was never dead!"

"Whoa!" Naruto shouted, surprised. "Cool!"

"Iruka, this one has account information and a log-in and password," Kakashi said, pointing to the phone.

Iruka read it, frowning slightly. "I don't know what it's for," he said and the boys moved closer to look.

"It's a bank account," Sasuke said. "And look, the app is on the phone already."

"I've never used that bank," Iruka said. "What do I do?"

"Log in," Kakashi suggested. "See what it tells you then?"

Iruka nodded, and the others moved away slightly to give him space.

After a minute, Iruka paused, his eyes wide.

"Oh....oh my..." he said, in a low voice.

"What?" Naruto asked. "What happened?"

"I....it's a bank account, alright," Iruka said. "And it has my information."

"Good," Sasuke said, nodding.

"Do you have any money in it?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke punched his shoulder. "Ow! What? It's a fair question!"

Iruka laughed. "I have money in it, somehow. I have more money than I've ever had!"

"What?" the others asked, and Iruka shook his head, just as his phone pinged with a new email.

"Apparently it's my salary from my work when I was dead," he laughed as he read it. "Plus a bit more. They weren't sure how much I would have made, and how many hours I worked, since time isn't as important there, but they know I was there a lot. So, they gave me...a lot. Like, a lot, a lot," he said, shaking his head. "This is crazy." He looked at Kakashi. "I can definitely pay you back for everything now!"

Kakashi shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of it. But I'm glad that's one less thing for you to worry about."

Iruka smiled. "Thank you," he said, looking around. "For all of this, for another chance."

"You're welcome!" Naruto shouted, as the dogs barked excitedly.

Sasuke shrugged, and Kakashi smiled, as Naruto began to dance around and start suggesting jobs for Iruka, who laughed.

"Tell you what." Iruka said. "How about we all get dressed and I treat us to breakfast out?"

"Yes!" Naruto said, running to his room. "Dead money for brunch! Believe it!"

_______

"Come on, Naruto, Kakashi's waiting outside," Sasuke sighed.

"I'm just looking for my shoe," Naruto replied.

"Right here," Iruka said, passing it to him and picking up his own bag. "See you next week, Gai!" he called out.

"Have a great weekend!" Gai called back, poking his head into the changing area. "Enjoy your time as a beautiful family!"

Iruka laughed, and Sasuke rolled his eyes as he pushed the others outside.

"Hi," Iruka greeted Kakashi as they piled into the car.

"Yo," Kakashi said. "Everyone ready?"

"Yes!" Naruto said, pulling an orange hat over his hair. "I can't wait to get home, it's freezing out!"

"We were barely outside," Sasuke commented, rolling his eyes.

"I'm still cold," Naruto whined, and they began to argue.

Iruka shook his head at their antics in the backseat, and turned to Kakashi.

"How was work?" he asked, and the older man shrugged as he drove.

"It was okay. I might have to go out of town for a few days in a week or two."

"But you won't miss the holidays, right? It's Iruka's first holidays with us!" Naruto said, as he and Sasuke paused their arguing.

"Of course," Kakashi said, squeezing Iruka's hand. "How could I?"

Iruka smiled. "I'm excited for all of it," he said. "I can't believe it's the beginning of December already!"

"I can't believe you haven't killed Kakashi yet," Sasuke commented, and Kakashi sighed.

"Always so kind, Sasuke," he said, and Iruka laughed again.

"I think working at Gai's school helps," Iruka said in a loud whisper. "I get to get all my rage out when I spar."

"Thank god for Gai," Kakashi laughed. "Better him than me."

"As if you would ever spar with Iruka," Sasuke said. "He'd win."

"Agreed!" Naruto chimed in.

Kakashi sighed again. "So much faith you all have in me."

They continued to debate who amongst the four of them would win in what as they drove, picking up pizza on their way home.

Back at the house, the kids ran to the kitchen, and the adults let the dogs out, standing outside watching the dogs run around.

Iruka leaned into Kakashi, wrapping their arms around each other, their breaths coming out as puffs in the cold night air.

"Sometimes I forget how nice this is," Iruka sighed.

"Freezing while the dogs do their business?" Kakashi asked, and Iruka shook his head, laughing.

"Being alive, being a family again. Joining your Friday pizza and movie night."

"Even if Sasuke and Naruto pick out a crappy movie for tonight?" Kakashi challenged.

"Even then," Iruka said, smiling and pulling Kakashi closer. "But I think tonight's our pick..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback and suggestions welcomed!
> 
> Let's connect, I'm on [tumblr](https://hkandiu.tumblr.com/)


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